Boeing Whistleblower Accuses Management of Demanding Falsified Defect Reports

A former Boeing inspector alleges that he was pressured to "falsify information" when logging defects in 737 fuselages, raising concerns about the safety of the aircraft.

A former Boeing supplier employee has come forward with allegations that he was pressured to "falsify information" when logging defects in 737 fuselages, exposing a potential safety risk within the company's operations.

Santiago Paredes, who spent over 12 years conducting final inspections of 737 fuselages for Spirit AeroSystems, claims that he faced constant pressure from upper management to overlook defects and expedite inspections.

"They asked me to document defects in a different way – basically falsify the information that was, on how the documents were logged," Paredes explained in an interview with "Fox & Friends First."

Paredes alleges that this directive violated ethical standards and could have compromised the safety of the aircraft. Despite his objections, he claims that he was forced to comply with the directive to keep his job.

"There was a lot of pressure from upper management," Paredes said. "It became a constant battle to do my job of identifying and documenting defects."

Spirit AeroSystems, the company that employed Paredes, has strongly denied these allegations and stated that it will "vigorously defend" itself against the claims.

Paredes's allegations come amid heightened scrutiny of Boeing's safety practices following a series of recent incidents involving its aircraft. In January, a door plug blew out of a 737 MAX 9 jet at 16,000 feet of elevation. In the past week, three more incidents have occurred, including a 737 fire and runway skid, a failed landing gear on a 767, and a burst tire on a 737-800.

Paredes claims that he had warned Boeing of the potential for a major incident months before the door plug blowout in January. "I was a former employee, one on the investors’ lawsuit that was filed on December 19 and updated later on in March," he explained. "But on December 19, I had a statement that was recorded even before that, months before the Alaskan Airlines, where I said that it was just a matter of time before something significant could happen."

When asked if he would fly on a Boeing plane now, Paredes responded, "It makes me very nervous."

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have launched investigations into Boeing's safety practices in light of these allegations and incidents. The SEC will investigate potential misleading statements by the company regarding safety, while the FAA will probe possible incomplete inspections on 787 Dreamliner airplanes.

Boeing has declined to comment on the matter.